EXAMINATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN DECOMPOSITION BYPRODUCTS IN SOIL

<p>During decomposition, human remains release naturally produced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are specific to the process of decay. These VOCs can act as markers that indicate remains are present [1] and presumably can be used to indicate whether or not remains were once present in a given location, thus making them a potentially viable avenue for investigators to pursue when trying novel techniques for locating remains. For this study, soil samples were taken from an approximate center of mass from 32 known cadaveric decomposition islands (CDIs) at the Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST) in Marquette, MI, and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) headspace analysis. This study attempts to validate a minimally invasive soil sampling method for determining where a body is or was allowed to decompose. It was found that none of the CDIs in the samples contained decomposition VOCs, which is attributable three potential factors: volatilization of the VOCs before analysis, new vegetation growth and/or microbial activity, or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry headspace analysis is not sensitive enough.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Interdisciplinary

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• struble, savannah m

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Jane Harris

• Volatile organic compound
• human decomposition
• detection of remains
• gas chromatography-mass spectrometry headspace analysis
• Life Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/853

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1909